A new app lets anyone with a startup idea instantly chat with investors at VC firm Kleiner Perkins

Growing up in India and Singapore, Anjney Midha had big dreams of
one day moving to Silicon Valley and joining the region's
thriving startup scene.

In fact, he was so enamored by the startup culture there that he
started sending cold emails to venture capitalists in the Valley,
asking questions about term sheets and business plans. But the
usual response he got — if he ever got one — was a simple
one line message: "Next time you're here, let me know, and we'll
get coffee."

Eventually, Midha got into Stanford and things got a little
better. But he still wasn't able to get the type of instant
access with VCs that he got with professors during office hours,
leaving him frustrated with lots of unanswered questions about
the industry.

But one day at Stanford, in 2013, he came across an on-campus
"office hour" set up by Kleiner Perkins' general partner Mike
Abbott. The two instantly clicked, and three days later,
Midha was hired as the youngest partner at Kleiner Perkins.

Inspired by those office hours, Midha and his team at Kleiner
Perkins' Edge Fund launched a new app last week that lets anyone
from around the world ask questions and speak with them
instantly.

Called
the "KPCB Edge Office Hours," the app is basically a
communication app where users can ask and get instant feedback
from one of the three partners of the Edge Fund, the firm's
early stage fund focused on emerging technologies like drones,
digital currency, and virtual reality. The three partners —
Midha, Roneil Rumburg, and Ruby Lee — spend at least two hours a
week answering questions in real-time, while they respond to
non-office hour messages throughout the week.

"The kind of access where you just open up your phone and you’re
talking to an investment partner who can write you a check the
next day just hasn’t happened before," Midha told Business
Insider. "Nothing's broadcasted, you just have a 1-on-1
conversation with us while your identity is protected."

Kleiner
Perkins

Since its launch on Friday, the app has been downloaded in 17
different countries, Midha said, and he's already set up 5 to 6
different meetings with people who reached out to him
through the app. It's still in its very early stages, but Midha
says he plans to have guest CEOs and even some of the general
partners from Kleiner Perkins participate in the two-hour weekly
office hours.

Midha says the app is about much more than just providing
unfettered access to Valley VCs. The ultimate goal is to
change the way venture capital works using great software.
"We’re not trying to replace venture capital," Midha said. "We’re
just trying to make VC much better, more efficient and accessible
with software. That’s the ultimate goal."